Environmental impact of cocoa production facts for kids
Cocoa production, which gives us delicious chocolate, can sometimes harm our planet. This includes cutting down forests, polluting the soil, and making weeds resistant to chemicals. Most cocoa farms are found in countries like Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.
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About Cocoa Beans
Cocoa beans are very popular around the world. They are used to make things like chocolate, candy bars, drinks, and cocoa powder. Growing cocoa beans is a delicate and hard job. The trees are also called Cacao trees.
The process starts with a Cacao plant, or Theobroma cacao. The beans are found inside pods that grow right on the tree branches. Each pod usually has about 30 to 50 beans. After the beans are taken out, they go through a long process of natural fermenting and drying.
How farmers grow cocoa can affect the environment. For example, climate change can cause longer dry seasons. This makes it harder for farmers to plant and keep new Cacao trees healthy. Much of the environmental impact comes from carbon dioxide released into the air.
How Cocoa is Farmed
Cocoa farming can only happen close to the Equator, about 15 degrees north or south of it. It takes about three years after planting for the trees to grow enough pods to harvest. Tiny flies called midges help pollinate the cocoa pods.
Ripe cocoa pods are yellow. Farmers cut them down from the trees using a machete. Using a machete this way helps stop diseases from spreading among the pods. This means farmers need fewer chemicals to protect their crops. Pods can be low on branches or higher up.
Once gathered, the pods are cut open. The cocoa beans are then taken out. The beans are spread out, often on banana leaves, to ferment for several days. Next, the seeds are dried in the sun for a few more days. After drying, they are put into bags and taken to collection offices. From there, they are sent worldwide to be made into chocolate and other products.
Environmental Challenges
Sun-Grown Cocoa
Most cocoa farms are small, family-owned businesses. There are about 4.5 million cocoa farms globally. Many are in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. In Ghana, cocoa makes up 64% of all exports.
Traditionally, cocoa farms were planted in the shade among other trees and crops. They are often found in tropical rainforest areas. Growing cocoa beans is a long process. Many things can affect how much a farm produces.
The demand for chocolate keeps growing. Farmers often struggle to produce enough cocoa. It's thought that chocolate demand will double by 2050. To meet this, some farmers have started using methods that are not good for the environment. About 90% of cocoa worldwide comes from small family farms.
Cocoa bean prices are often low. This means farmers must focus on growing more cocoa on their small plots of land. This can lead to using land more intensely, growing cocoa in direct sun, and sometimes even using child labor.
Some farmers have moved their crops from the shade into direct sunlight. This method produces more cocoa quickly, but often of lower quality. Cacao trees without shade tend to have more weeds. They also get diseases more easily, like Witches Broom and Frosty Pod Rot.
If pests appear, farmers use large amounts of herbicides to get rid of them. These chemicals can harm the land and the health of the people spraying them. Too much spraying can also make weeds and insects resistant to the chemicals. This can cause more harm to the crops later. Growing cocoa in the sun often means clearing away taller trees and smaller plants. This leads to deforestation and loss of animal homes.
Forest Loss
Cocoa farming also causes rainforest and old-growth forest deforestation. When land is cleared in these forests, it reduces the number of different plants and animals living there. Many wildlife habitats are destroyed. The variety of plant species is greatly reduced.
Nutrients can start to wash out of the soil because of poor watering and not enough soil protection. This can increase soil erosion. The more intense the farming methods, the more damage they do to the ecosystem. Cocoa farming can become a harmful cycle. Farmers wear out the soil and then cut deeper into the forest for new land. All these actions stress the Cacao trees. This can actually lead to lower yields, which is the opposite of what farmers hope for.
Some forests in Ghana and other cocoa-producing countries are now protected by the government. This happened after people saw the destruction of the Tropical Rainforests. However, with little new land for Cacao trees, some farmers are starting to illegally cut down parts of these protected forests. It's estimated that about 50% of these protected forests have been cut down.
In 2017, a group called Mighty Earth reported that some large companies were buying cocoa. This cocoa was grown in national parks and other protected forests in the Ivory Coast. These companies include Cargill, Olam International, and Barry Callebaut. They supply big chocolate companies like Mars, Hershey's, Nestlé, Mondelez, Lindt, and Ferrero.
The report said these companies were harming the forest homes of chimpanzees, elephants, and other wildlife. This was happening because they bought cocoa linked to deforestation. Because of cocoa production, 7 out of 23 protected areas in Ivory Coast have been almost completely turned into cocoa farms. The companies were told about these findings. They did not deny that they got cocoa from protected areas in the Ivory Coast.
Finding Solutions
Groups like the World Cocoa Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, and Solidaridad are working to help. They want cocoa farming to return to sustainable ways. They offer education programs and help farmers find environmentally and economically sound ways to farm.
As a last choice, some programs help farmers get pest control products like biocides. These are safer alternatives to harmful pesticides. Other programs teach proper watering, composting, good soil management, and intercropping. This means planting other trees and fruit crops around the Cacao trees. Some farmers burn old, fermented pods and put them back on the soil. This acts as a form of composting and fertilizer. To stop deforestation, it's suggested that farmers replant on their current land using these better practices.
Shade-Grown Cocoa
Cacao pods naturally grew in the shade of a diverse rainforest. It's suggested that cocoa farmers go back to this original way of farming. This means planting cocoa among existing trees without cutting them down. If an area has already been cleared, there's another option. Farmers can plant trees, especially fruit trees, around and within the plantation.
These trees provide shade for the Cacao plants. They also help add oxygen back into the environment. Planting cacao under taller trees protects the more delicate cacao from direct sunlight. This greatly increases how long the cacao tree can produce fruit. It also makes the cacao tree less likely to get diseases.
Another good thing about planting companion trees is that it creates more homes for birds and insects. If the shade trees are fruit-bearing, they can also give the farmer extra money. However, making the shade cover too simple might reduce the variety of plants and animals. So, keeping the shade structures complex is important to protect biodiversity.
Shade trees return natural materials to the soil. This happens when leaves fall and branches decay. The shade from these trees also helps keep the soil moist during dry seasons. This means less harmful watering practices are needed. Shade trees will increase how much water soaks into the ground. They also slow down soil erosion.
Since shade stops weeds from growing, farmers can use less or no pesticides. This can reduce the number of Witches Broom diseases in these crops. Cacao plants that grow in the shade help the environment have more different plants and animals. This allows natural populations and homes to thrive. Finally, shade can be very helpful in keeping older Cacao plants productive for longer.
